Thinkspace is pleased to present A Faster Hallelujah featuring new work by Carlos Ramirez in our project room.
This exhibition perfectly illustrates Ramirez’s evolution as an artist. His oeuvre remains alluring and magical while simultaneously offering satirical commentary on political and social issues on behalf of the oppressed.
In anticipation of A Faster Hallelujah our interview with Carlos Ramirez explores his inspiration for the exhibition, artistic influences, and an album cover he wishes he could design.
SH: For those that are not familiar with you and your work, can you give us a brief look at your artistic background and how you came to meet our curator and co-owner Andrew Hosner?
CR: Initially, before working and coming to Los Angeles, I lived and worked in the Coachella valley. It’s where I was born and raised and became a self-taught artist. I eventually ventured out and began working with galleries in Los Angeles like New Image Art and Ace Gallery, Jonathan Levine Projects in New York, and a few in London like Pow.
I believe the first time I met Andrew was around 2005. We eventually worked together, when I took part in an exhibition at Thinkspace Gallery titled ‘New Blood’ in 2012 curated by producer Morgan Spurlock .
SH: What was the inspiration behind this latest body of work?
CR: The inspiration for my latest work – I think is inspired or compelled by an internal and personal dialogue or discussion, I think most of us are having around this social and political climate. The American fabric seems to be forced into fraying by its own doing. America finds itself forced into drawing social and even racial lines in some unfortunate cases, and those lines become more defined the longer it goes on.
I have a sense of duty as an artist, and for me to not say or question anything – for me that would be almost sinful.
SH: Who are some of your creative influences?
CR: There are so many it’s hard to narrow down, but some of my earliest influences were from people I didn’t even know. Early influences came through prison letters sent to family members containing some of the most amazing art I had ever seen. Then later on in life artist like Francisco Toledo to Ai Wei Wei … there are just too many.
SH: Did you have an art mentor at the beginning of your career?
CR: Unfortunately besides my 8th-grade art teacher not really, unless you can consider the hood mixed with a little reality as a mentor.
SH: What is your favorite and least favorite part of the creative process?
CR: My favorite part of the creative process would have to be the learning experiences and the journey’s they’ve created. Not that it’s bad, but my least would have to be staying disciplined and approaching it like an 8 to 5 .
SH: Is there a particular piece in this exhibition you feel really challenged you?
CR: Yes there is a couple but it’s a smaller piece that challenged me emotionally ‘Your Hood’, for some reason that piece kept pissing me off. I think the fact that the subject matter is still relevant in 2020 just blows my mind.
SH: If you could make an album cover for any musical artist, who would it be?
CR: I’ve already worked with some awesome people in the music industry like Primus, Joe Jonas, Brant Bjork formerly of Kyuss , John Garcia, and a few others but I think even though he’s no longer with us, and if I had a choice – it would be Gil Scott-Heron.
SH: If you could download any skill into your brain, Matrix-style, what would you want to instantly learn?
CR: Where is the power source .
SH: Would you rather be able to talk to animals or read people’s minds?
CR: Even though it might be a lil scary to know what animals think of us, I’d have to always go with the animals.
SH: If you could have dinner with 5 people dead or alive, who would they be and what would you be eating?
CR: With my semi twisted thinking I would have to say Ghandi, Richard Ramirez , Dr. Kevorkian , Nostradamus, and John Lennon to compare notes and we’d be eating THC edibles.
